A man of the alcohol
by Cadoan
Summary: Balthier had never been a man of the alcohol. There's plenty of reasons for that. So what happens the night he do gets drunk..? Oneshot


I wrote this when I was in the midst of playing the game, which I have still not completed since my friend stole it away.

Enjoy my un-BETA'd story!

_--°--°--_

_Balthier had never been a man of the alcohol. It was not because Fran didn't approve of the smell, her hightened viera senses coming into play._

_It was not because he didn't like the taste._

_It was not that he could not handle it._

_In fact, Balthier could handle the alcohol very well._

_He simply did not find any satisfaction in wasting countless gil on a drink that you would throw up later and that gave you the feeling that your head is about to explode the day after._

_Balthier did very rarely get drunk. Part because of earlier named reasons, part that being drunk and fly an ariship simply did not mix._

_All this, all this, made last night's events so unthinkable, so out of this world._

_He wanted to believe that it never had occured, it just had to be some weird dream his brain had cooked together._

_But one, small, part of him knew that it had'nt been a dream, and that part danced with joy._

_That was enough to know that it had occured._

_That and, oh, that and the tanned body splayed on top of him._

--°--°--

"I do not sleep with men. Nor less, boys."

"You slept with me."

"I was drunk."

"Not too drunk to stand."

"It was a moment of madness."

"_Three."_

"What?"

"_Three _moments of madness."

--°--°--

The wolf growled and made an attempt to run away, four arrows in its back and one broken leg.

A loud "bang" was heard, and the wolf tumbled down a sandhill.

Balthier put the long rifle back in its place and swung it over his shoulder.

Basch put his hand over his eyes, shielding them from the sun.

"I think we've got company."

Three wolves were running towards them. They stopped for a moment to sniff on their fallen comrade.

Balthier took out the rifle again, Fran laying an arrow to her bow, Basch securing the shield around his arm.

"I'll take 'em!" Vaan flashed the rest of the group a big grin and swung his light sword in the air.

The fight was on as an arrow, which soon was followed by a gunshot, made one of the wolves drop dead in the yellow sand.

Basch swung his sword at one of the others, the wolf dodging just to get a sword in its side. It made a yelping sound before it fell off Basch's sword, blood gushing from the wound.

Balthier looked around for the third wolf, trigger pulled.

His eyes widened slightly when he noticed how the wolf had Vaan pinned to the ground, said buy struggling to keep its fang away from his neck.

Balthier aimed, and the bullet was off. The wolf made a strangled noise and rolled off Vaan, spasming.

Basch kneeled at the boy's side, inspecting his injures.

"This isn't good..." He shook Vaan's shoulder, and got no reaction.

The scarred fighter turned his head towards the sky pirates.

"My MP is low, some of you take care of him."

Balthier could clearly hear the worry little worry in his voice, so much you now you could get out from Basch, and shot his viera partner a look.

"You take care of him, Balthier. I will not waste the little MP I have left."

Balthier sighed and walked over to Vaan. The young man had some pretty nasty slices on his arm, where the wolf had bitten him.

The pirate cast Cure on the nastiest wounds and took out a High Potion.

He took ahold of Vaan's head and tilted it back, placing the blue bottle at his mouth.

"You better wake up, I would rather not have to carry you the way back," he weezed through closed teeth.

Finally, Vaan's lashes fluttered open and the blond groaned.

"Good."

Balthier let go of Vaan's head and stood up, receiving a little yelp from the boy.

"Taking them all on, ey?"

Vaan muttered something and got to his feet.

Basch read the paper they had gotten from the petitioner.

"Well, we've done what we're here for."

Fran crossed her hands over her chest, eyeing the sun.

"There is a sandstorm coming this way. We better head back."

--°--°--

Balthier was sitting at the bar at the local inn they were staying. A hardly touched drink was standing in front of him, the ice long since melted.

"Hun, you're looking down. Think I cou' cheer ya up?"

A lightly clad barmaid winked seductivly at him, crossing her arms and leaning forward in a way that gave him a full view of her breasts.

Could she? Balthier supposed she could. For a short time, yes. As a complete stranger, she could be able to keep his bed warm for one night. But nothing more.

The pirate took a sip of his drink, neither declining nor inviting.

"Balthier!"

A familiar voice was heard and a tanned body plopped sown in the seat next to him.

"I'll... be over there if ya nee' me," the woman said with a long look towards Vaan, leaving them both alone.

Balthier was used to the Rabanastran being able to find him and take his time.

He didn't dislike it, nor did he like it.

"I found you," Vaan smiled.

"So I see," Balthier replied dryly, shooting a glanze at the woman from before. Vaan followed his gaze, looking at her for a while.

"Who's she?" he asked, chin resting in his hand and elbow on the table, studying her.

"No one," the pirate answered, not really expecting the question.

"Oh. Okay."

Suddenly, the seriousness was gone from Vaan, and he smiled widely. Balthier almost thought he had imagined it all.

--°--°--

"Is the biiiiiig, _mighty, _pirate giving up?"

Vaan, flushed face from the countless of beers he had drunk, leaned close to the brunet, taunting.

The other hume gripped his glass, straightened and gulped the liquor down. Wiping his mouth with his arm, he grinned, accepting the other's challenge.

"Far from," he said and threw some gils onto the disk, eyeing the blond.

"I'll beat you."

--°--°--

_Countless gil and just as many drinks later._

--°--°--

"I think I am going to be sick..."

Balthier put his hand over his mouth, making Vaan erupt into a hysterical giggling fit.

"Tha' means... tha... that... that you loose!"

The younger one broke down completely, snorting with laughter, almost not being able to breathe.

Balthier kicked the laughing boy on the shin.

He tried to smile viciously, but he didn't quite manage.

Vaan's shoulders shook, he gripped his leg and tears formed in his eyes. Another hysterical giggle, and he pressed his forehead against the table.

"That huuurt!"

Balthier bit the inside of his cheek hard, grabbing his glass tight, pushing at the white, drunken fog in his head.

Eventually, the boy from the sewers calmed down and he just layed with his head turned on the side on the table, looking up at his drunk friend.

The brunet felt himself being watched, and he tilted his head down to stare back.

"Why are you looking at me?" he asked, leaning even closer.

That serious look came over Vaan again. He put his arm under his head, now being so close to Balthier that their noses almost touched.

"I-I was ju-just-"

Suddenly, Balthier dipped his head down, pushing his lips against Vaan's. Vaan immediatly responded with opening his mouth, letting their tongues dance with each other.

They both lost track of time and place, hands loosing themselves in blond hair, tanned hand going up to lay on neck, lips meshing hard.

"Wou' you please take tha' somewhere else?"

A deep, male voice made them break apart.

A green bangaa gave them a hard look.

Vaan bit his hand, trying to stop himself from having another laugh attack.

Balthier let go of the other's hair, standing up. It buzzed in his head and the white fog swirled angrily. But he managed to keep his balance.

Vaan, on the other hand, didn't seem to be able to do the same, as he collapsed in a laughing pile on the floor.

"H-h-help me!"

The blond reached out his arms, like a child waiting to be picked up, and Balthier, if yet a bit unsure, walked over to him and dragged him to his feet.

Vaan held tight onto Balthier's neck, his mouth at his ear.

"I want you," he whispered in that serious tone, making unwanted blood rush to certain places in Balthier.

Sonner than he thought was possible, they both stumbled into his room...

...and it was there he woke up, not remembering much of the last night.

--°--°--

Balthier slowly started to wake up.

It was probably the high slamming going on inside his head.

"How much did I drink last night..?"

He sat up and rubbed his hand over his face when he felt something shift beside him.

The sky pirate looked to his left, seeing a curled body laying beneath the blanket.

He couldn't see who it was, but he had a memory of a wellswarved woman from last night.

Balthier fell back onto the pillows, groaning. This wouldn't be a pretty day. The person next to him shifted again, and this time an arm landed around his middle.

"I believe that you should get going now."

He rubbed his hand over his face again, the arm around his middle tightening.

"Go where..?"

Balthier's eyes widened. That didn't sound like a-

Oh no.

It _couldn't _be...

Fearing for the worst, hoping for the best, Balthier turned his head.

Sleepy, blue eyes and blond ruffled hair, tanned skin and smiling pink lips met him.

_Vaan._

_--°--°--_

So what do you do?

What do you do if you wake up with a hangover and a young man next to you?

_I would kick him out and pretend that it never happened._

What if this youngster wasn't a stranger? What if you _knew_ him?

_I' would ask him to go and ask him to forget about it._

What if you _liked _this person? This young man... What if you _liked_ him?

_I would..._

I know what you would do. You would have done it again. And again.

--°--°--

A week.

A week had gone.

Vaan was as usual, Balthier almost began to think that the moring seven days ago...

The memories of that night...

Had never occured.

The one thing that kept him knowing that something had happened though...

Sometimes, he got the feeling of being watched, and when he turned to see who it was...

Blond head turning away as fast as possible.

Always.

--°--°--

Once again, he was caught watching.

_Staring._

Vaan cursed himself.

Why was he doing this?

It had been one night, nothing more. It had happened because of the alcohol, he kept telling himself.

But oh, he wished it to be so much more.

He had to know.

--°--°--

Balthier flashed the mirror a trademark smile.

Always at his best.

Another inn, another bar.

Another drink, another warm body.

Balthier walked over to his door and opened it, ready to step out.

As soon as the door was fully open, he tumbled backwards, landing on the floor.

On top of him was Vaan.

He stared intently at Balthier, leaning down.

Lips against lips, eyes sliding shut.

Hand on hip, hands in hair, hand on neck.

Once again, the time dissappeared.

--°--°--

_"Why'd you do it?"_

_" I don't know. Do you?"_

_"I wanted to know. Without the alcohol, I mean. How it'd be."_

_"Me too. Me too._

--°--°--

I think this is one of the longest fics I've ever written. Well, that was meant for anyone to read, at least.

Thanks for reading! :D


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